The Creature Queen and The Life She Led
by HighFlyer0603
Summary: "What's her name?" "Her name is spoken with great reverence among us, as such, you mere mortal have no right to it. You may call her your majesty, the Creature Queen." Fred/OC/George (Rated T, probably. Will be adjusted if necessary in the future)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**

**Here is the first chapter in my newest story depicting the life of my OC; Lenora D-E. I hope you enjoy it and I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. (Here is the summary that doesn't fit in the description box before the chapter).**

**Summary:**

**You think you know this world? The world of witchcraft, wizardry and more? Think again. There is an entirely different dimension to it that you could never have imagined. They call her the Creature Queen, half-fey, half-dragon. A figure of awe, yet also fear, she is shrouded in mystery. Young and rarely seen publicly other than when necessary for her people, not many could claim to have ever seen her face. Yet now, as the wheels of fate begin to turn, it is time for her to make her appearance. It is time for her to step into the light and take her true place in the world order. Will she rise to this, her fate in collaborating with the Chosen One, or will the world crumble and burn? A flash of golden eyes and crimson locks and only one name comes to mind, one so sacred it has been kept a far-reaching secret for over a decade...that of the Creature Queen.**

**Chapter 1- A Friendship to Last a Lifetime**

It was the autumn of 1986 and in a neglected park in Little Whinging; a small ebony-haired bespectacled boy was swinging on a creaking red swing. A bright red handprint marred his pale face and his green eyes glistened with rapidly shedding tears. Looking down at the bare roughened ground, he tried to stop his tears.

From the edge of his eyesight came tiny feet attached to short legs adorned in dragon printed knee-length socks. Raising his eyes, the little boy came face to face with a smiling redhead with piercing golden eyes, pink cheeks and a heart shaped face. Looking at her pretty denim dress, the green-eyed boy felt ashamed of his grubby and misshapen hand-me-down clothes. Peeking back up at her face, he watched in astonishment as her eyes changed and morphed, suddenly matching the eyes he saw in the mirror every day. "How did you do that?" He whispered in childish wonder. A voice reminiscent of bells returned his question.

"I don't know I just can. Can't you do it?"

"No, it looks like magic."

"I can do magic, magic is wonderful. Like making cups and plates float and playing games. Everything is much more fun with magic, that's what Endawi says."

"My uncle says it's bad. He gets angry when I do a bad thing." At this, the smile fell off of the little girls face and he instantly regretted having spoken. He rushed to speak, to take it back, "It was my fault though; I was the one who did the bad thing." Her golden eyes flared and then flashed red as they flickered to the handprint marring his face. She raised her hand slowly towards his face and he flinched away from her, seemingly out of instinct. The redheads face softened and she retracted her hand slightly. "I won't hurt you, I promise." The two of them stayed still for a moment, green locked with gold, before he leaned his head forward slightly. The little boy let out a slightly numb gasp as she cupped his cheek and closed her eyes.

He watched with wide green eyes as she seemed to glow golden and the pain in his cheek vanished. Luminous golden eyes flickered open and she withdrew her tiny hand. He grasped at her as she swayed on her feet, steadying her. "Are you alright?" He asked shyly.

"Yes," she answered, grinning weakly. "What's your name?" He looked cautious for a moment and his hesitation caused her grin to vanish. Desperate once again to get a smile back on her face; he spoke quickly.

"My name is Harry Potter." Leaping forward, she grasped his hands in both of hers.

"I'm Lenora Deeragoh-Eterni." Harry smiled hesitantly at her and shook her hands lightly. "You can call me Lennie and we're going to be best friends." Stepping back, she led him to the only patch of flowered grass in the park. "Do you want to see one of the best kinds of magic?" She asked cutely. All Harry could do was nod dumbstruck in that moment as she giggled at the expression on his face.

Raising her hand, she showed Harry a small pink bud she had plucked from the ground. Watching as his face grew sad; Lenora was quick to comfort him. "Don't worry," she said. "It won't die." Reaching out palm up, she placed her hand over his. Harry was instantly in awe as the petals began to move and burst outwards as the flower bloomed. Glancing from golden eyes to a now fully bloomed flower, Harry let out a single exaltation of wonder. "See, it's okay. It won't ever die now, I promise." She handed it to him and he took it, with a gentleness that one would expect if they were handling the crown jewels. Neither of them could comprehend the sheer magnitude of this moment. Neither would probably ever know that in that exact spot, 17 years previously; Lily Evans performed one of her first bouts of purposeful magic in showing her sister the same thing. The true magnitude of this correlation would only be truly shown in years to come.

"I'll treasure it always," he murmured. "Can you do more magic like that?" Lenora nodded and grinned widely.

"See I told you," she gushed. "Endawi was right, magic is really fun."

"Who is Endori?" He asked falteringly.

"Endawi," she corrected. "Endawi is my dragon protector at the 'Secret Reserve'."

"Dragon protector?" He asked her, bemused.

"Yes, I'm half dragon, they say. I don't have a mum or dad though, so I have a dragon protector when I'm at the 'Secret Reserve' and a human one at the Români Reserve." Harry's face scrunched up as he tried to understand.

"So you're half human as well then?" Lenora laughed lightly.

"No silly. I'm also half fey." Harry pondered that for a moment, before nodding jauntily.

"Like a fairy? Does that mean you can fly?"

"Endawi says I will be able to someday, but I'm too young now." Harry seemed to deflate, but then rapidly inflate. "Will you show me more magic now?" Lenora nodded and rose to her feet.

Standing there amongst the flowers, Lenora closed halcyon eyes and held her arms outstretched, palms facing the cerulean sky. Focusing inwards, she concentrated all of her energy until she felt a trademark bubble of light deep within. Chuckling airily, Lenora let it go.

Harry watched in shocked fascination as Lenora levitated a foot off the ground and the Earth seemed to vibrate. His mouth fell open as all of the petals simultaneously disengaged from their blossoms and spiralled through the air around her. They were soon joined by many individual blades of grass and leaves from mammoth oaks, bending backwards over the desolate land. A strong wind billowed around them, drawing a giggle from the enchanted little boy. Jumping to his feet, Harry passed his hands through the flowery wind; growing more and more delighted as they began to swirl around him as well. "This is amazing!" He bubbled loudly, jumping up and down. The wind picked up speed rapidly before coming to an abrupt stop.

Harry's head snapped round and he grabbed at Lenora as she began to wilt and fall to the ground. The only Potter held her upright and asked worriedly, "Lennie, Lennie, are you alright?" Placing her on the ground as gently as a six year old could, Harry leaned over her in concern. Shaking her head, Lenora sat up sharply. "Sorry Harry, did I scare you? Endawi says I shouldn't do too much magic now, I'll get tired quickly. What did you think?" Childish regret was quickly followed by childish pride as she rejoiced in the awe she had evoked in her new friend.

"That was AMAZING! Can you teach me?" He asked her shyly.

"Yep," she agreed. "We're going to be the best of friends and I'm going to teach everything I can." Reaching out a hand to him, Lenora smiled broadly. Harry reached out his own hand and took hers. Shaking it, he asked her one last cautious question.

"You promise?"

"I promise." She said with finality, well as much definitive finality as a six-year-old can possess.

A faint buzzing sound could be suddenly heard and Lenora pulled a glowing fang from beneath her dress. "Oh dear," she said.

"What?" Harry asked, confused.

"I have to go," she answered, regretfully.

"Will you come back? Will I see you again?" He asked in a rush, desperate not to lose his new and only friend.

"Yes, I promise. I'll come back every Sunday to see you, in this park, at this time."

"Then I'll wait for you, every Sunday." Approaching her, he stood there for a moment, staring at her. Opening her arms, he rushed into them and they hugged for a few short moments. Withdrawing, she kissed him lightly on the cheek before turning to walk away.

"Why were you here?"

"I was playing hide and seek. Goodbye Harry." She called over her shoulder before vanishing from the park. Harry stood there stunned and whispered, "Goodbye Lennie." Before following her example and making the short walk back to the Dursley home. Neither child knew that this day would form a precedent that would last a lifetime.

The years passed and every Sunday without fail, no matter the beatings Harry had to face or who Lennie had to give the slip, they met in that very same spot, in that very same park. By the time they were 7, they were the best friends you could ever find. By 8, they could and had been mistaken for siblings; there was no closer sibling bond than the one between those two without blood between them. By 9, Harry had a shoebox full to bursting of knickknacks given to him by Lenora from her beloved reserve and other places she had visited. She told him fantastical stories and no matter how unbelievable some of them were, he adored them and waiting eagerly for the next one. Not a day went by where he did not think of her, he wished more than anything that she would take him with her, but he knew she could not. Even though, he knew the Dursley's would not miss him, someone would notice he was gone and Lennie would get in trouble. He didn't want that.

So by the time they were 10, on the cusp of turning 11, Lenora decided it was time for Harry to know who she truly was and in turn, who he was. It was the 28th of July 1991 and Lenora sat eagerly swinging on the same rusted red swing that Harry had been sat on on the day they met. On her lap rested a small box, brightly wrapped in red scale-like binding and she held it protectively close to herself. Staring up at the cloud mosaic sky, Lenora attempted to recoup her confidence in what she was going to do on this very day. She waited with a blend of consternation and eagerness for Harry to arrive.

An indiscernible amount of time later, the sound of awkward footsteps and a fervent cry of her name filled Lenora's senses. Turning her face from the sky, the little redhead came face to face with an exuberant Harry Potter, rushing at her from the park gate. Letting loose a cry of her own, Lenora rose to her feet – considerably more elegantly than Harry – and embraced him. "I missed you!" Harry crooned, laughing happily.

"You saw me last week," Lenora laughed.

"I know, but its hell at the Dursley's, even more so at the moment. The strangest things began to happen a couple of days ago and I'm surprised they let me out of the house at all."

"What do you mean?" She asked voice full of concern. Pulling him to what had become 'their' patch of flowers, she allowed him to explain.

"Well the other morning, a letter came for me! Letters never come for me. It was addressed to the cupboard under the stairs as well, how did they know that? Anyway Dudley told Uncle Vernon so he took it away and destroyed it, but then they moved me into Dudley's second bedroom. I don't get why they did that? So now I have a proper bedroom with a proper bed, not that old camping one! It didn't stop there though; the letters kept coming; more and more of them, until Uncle Vernon couldn't fit them all into the fire at one time. There were even lots of them this morning and it's a Sunday! There is never any post on Sundays. I did manage to see one of the letters though; it said 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'. Do you know what that is?"

Lenora pulled a face at this, although it was not entirely unexpected. "Yes Harry I do. In fact, I was going to speak to you about that today. However, before we get to the serious bit; I thought you might like this?" She grinned then, raising the scaly box so he could see it. Her heart broke at the awestruck look that came over his face at the sight of it.

"Is that for me?" He asked, stunned. Lenora was reminded then, that this would be only the fifth birthday present he had ever received. Smiling wistfully, she nodded and held it out to him. Harry became bashful as he always did when she gave him gifts and took it gingerly. "Can I open it now?" He asked quietly.

"Yes of course. That's the idea, silly." She laughed. Harry regained his confidence then and grinned at her.

Shifting in his seated position, Harry slipped one careful finger under the string holding the 'interesting' binding together. It snapped easily under his finger and the red scales shimmered before falling to the sides, revealing a polished black box with an emerald dragon etched into it. Harry Potter glanced up at her before flicking open the latch at her encouraging smile. Pulling back the lid revealed a pearlescent fang, strung on an obsidian cord. Drawing it from the box, Harry held it before his eyes and gawped at its beauty. "That is the first fang from the first dragon whose hatching I solely aided in and blessed; a Romanian Longhorn." Harry's mouth fell open as a whole new respect for her bloomed in him.

"Hatching? Blessed?" He asked, deeply interested in discovering new facts about her world.

"Well as you know, dragons are born from eggs. However, the Romanian Longhorn is becoming rare due to hunting for its impressive horn. A breeding programme was introduced, but then it was discovered that 1 in 3 Longhorn eggs are infected with a disease called ryopoxin which inhibits their growth and means they will never hatch. When I was a small child, I accidentally performed magic on an infected Longhorn egg, resulting in the healthy birth of a baby Longhorn several months later. The other problem with dragon hatchings is that the females are generally very aggressive towards most things and although the reserve's aim is to help them; in their unrest and hostility many dragons have trampled their eggs. That is why we dragon keepers must aid in the hatchings. The other dragon keepers refer to my 'salvation' magic as a blessing; a wish for the dragon to have a prosperous life."

Harry frowned in concentration as he processed this influx of information. "So, you save babies? You're finally a fully-fledged dragon keeper then?" Smiling graciously at him, she nodded.

"Yes, I suppose you could put it like that," Lenora laughed. "Yes finally. My pay as dragon keeper was actually handed to me yesterday, rather than given to Darius." Harry hugged her tightly at the joy in her voice.

"I'm so happy for you. Thank you for my gift, I do love it...but are you sure you can give that to me? I mean, it was the first baby you cared for alone, isn't that very important? Will you get in trouble for giving it to someone like me?" Lenora's eyes filled with pity and she pressed her gift into his hand.

"Of course Harry, we made a promise to each other did we not?" At this, she turned over his right hand and then her own, revealing two small identical scars. "We are blood siblings Harry, bound by an oath we made when we were eight. There is no one more important to me than you. I want you to have this to show that, so you shall always remember what you mean to me. Also, uh, no I won't. In fact that is something I have to talk to you about...that and why you've been getting all of those letters." Harry nodded at her solemn tone and slipped the fang's cord over his head, allowing it to rest over his heart. He then sat on the emerald grass and waited for her to sit beside him and begin.

"You see, Harry, I think it's time I told you the whole truth...about me, my life, and your life too." Harry looked confused at this, but nodded warily for her to continue. "Look, would you rather I started with the bit about the letters or myself?" She asked brusquely, quickly losing her confidence and courage.

"Uh, somehow I think the letters might be simpler. So, start there." Lenora nodded, steeling herself and began.

"As you mentioned earlier, those letters come from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As the name states, it is a school for those who can do magic. Remember when we met, I told you you could do magic like me." Harry nodded at this, getting this part. "Well...Hogwarts is a school for wizards of the age of 11-18. You receive your acceptance letter days before your eleventh birthday, but you have been on their books as a future student from the day you were born. At this school you will learn how to use and control magic (more so than I have taught you) and become versed in several other subjects; examples being potions, care of magical creatures and arithmancy. Hogwarts is actually in Scotland and is one of the only magical schools in the world that makes its location publicly known." By this point Harry looked confused and she paused to allow him to speak.

"Wait, there are magical schools? Why didn't you tell me before now?" Harry felt mildly betrayed by this even as he recalled her evasiveness pertaining to his questions about magical education in the past.

"I'm sorry Harry, I promise I'm telling you everything today, but there are things I couldn't tell you before now. Telling you about Hogwarts would have led you to ask other questions that I couldn't answer at the time." She told him, apologetically.

Sudden realisation filled Harry's face and "does that mean you're going to Hogwarts too?" burst from his mouth. Lenora winced at this and shook her head.

"No, I'm not Harry. I would not be safe there at this point. That is one of the questions I was dreading if I told you earlier; one question leads to a thousand more." Her tone took a solemn edge at this and then realising this, Lenora tried to perk up. "Anyway, do you want me to tell you more about Hogwarts or not?" Although Harry still looked slightly confused and slightly suspicious, he nodded eagerly. Lenora smiled weakly at his enthusiasm and proceeded to tell him most of the things she knew about the British school.

A long while later, Harry was agog and his mind was reeling with the large influx of information he had just received. "Wow," was all he could utter, speechless.

"I know," Lenora said giggling.

"Is all of that real? You're not just playing with me?" He asked suspiciously. Lenora could be quite the prankster when she wanted to be and her story-telling ability was out of this world. It probably also helped that she was an amazing liar.

"Well..."At his crestfallen face, her facade faltered and she began to laugh. "No of course not Harry and you'll see it all for yourself come September." She told him encouragingly. The crestfallen expression hadn't quite left his face though.

"I wish you were going though. You're the only friend I've ever had." Her heat broke at his morose tone and she embraced him tightly.

"If you're anything like your father then I don't think you'll have to worry about making friends." She teased, trying to bring a smile to his downturned face. However, she immediately realised her slip as his head snapped up to stare at her.

"What?" He asked hoarsely.

Rubbing the back of her neck, Lenora answered him nervously. "Well, um, that was part of what I needed to talk to you about as well, but I didn't know how to go about it."

"You know who my parents are?"He demanded.

"Yes," she answered defeated, not seeing a way out.

"How?" Noticing the hurt plastered on her face from his harsh tone, he softened his tone and asked again.

"What have your aunt and uncle told you about your parents, Harry?"

"Hardly anything, but they insult them quite a bit. Well that, and that they died in a car crash." The instant fury and resignation that warred on her face surprised him.

"Oh Harry," she sighed and her grief touched him. "Let's start from the beginning shall we? You can ask me questions when I finish, yeah?" At his nod, she began to speak.

"Your mother's name was Lily Potter, nee Evans. She was frighteningly intelligent, kind and loyal. A true friend, many say." Lenora looked to Harry and saw the eagerness in his eyes as he soaked up any information she could give him about his parents. "Your father was James Potter. He was bold brazen, loyal and almost as intelligent as your mother; although he showed it in different ways; a true prankster at heart. They met at Hogwarts and James adored Lily from the day he first saw her. It took a lot to convince her they were meant to be though." She told him, chuckling. "If there was one thing Lily Evans was, it was stubborn. He got her in the end though, James could be stubborn too. They were soulmates." Lennie sighed sadly, knowing the overjoyed expression on her 'brother's' face would not last.

Delaying the inevitable, she reached into her previously unseen satchel and produced an aged photo album and a thick tome. Handing the tome to Harry, she told him. "This book is called Hogwarts: A History. If ever you have questions about the school, the answers should be in here." She waited a moment as Harry mumbled his thanks, still stunned from learning something about his parents, before stroking the album slightly and flipping it open. "And this, this is a photo containing a picture of almost every significant moment in James and Lily's lives; both together and apart." Showing him the first picture of the two together, displaying a gangly dark-haired teenager – who could have been Harry in few years – and a pretty redhead, both grinning into the camera.

Harry took it from her carefully, as if it may disintegrate if handled roughly. He flicked through it for a while, allowing a few tears to cascade down his face. "Thank you," he croaked, clutching it tightly to himself. Glancing up at her heartbroken face, he gulped. "Bad things are coming now, aren't they?" Her eyes took on a tortured glaze and she nodded.

"I'm so so sorry." She told him feeling old beyond her years, before gently revealing the truth of James and Lily's death. "I want you to know, they were brave, they were so very brave Harry. There was just a very evil man, you see people call him the Dark Lord and –"

A long while later Lenora was holding Harry close to her as he sobbed. "Why them? Why did they die and leave me?" While she was but a child herself, Lenora had not spared him anything on account of him being young. She felt it was better he knew it now than later, allowing hate to fester.

"They wanted you to live, my dear one. They are still watching over you. In fact, they always will be. You don't want their sacrifice to be in vain, do you?" He shook his head vehemently then, seeing her logic. "I always be here for you Harry, I will never leave you; no matter what." She swore and he clutched at her tightly.

"You promise?" He whispered, still choked up from crying.

"I promise," She whispered back and waited for him to adjust to all of the information she had given him so far.

"How do you know so much about my parents?" He asked, suddenly realising she was far too young to have ever known so much about them. Gulping, Lenora raised agonised yet determined eyes to face his. "There is another story I have to tell you Harry, something I couldn't tell you before now. Are you sure you want to hear?" Harry nodded a determined gleam in his eyes and Lenora sighed, tilting her head to face the midday sun.

"_**Eons ago, creatures of all kinds were brought into creation. Some were magical, some were not, but they all had some level of sentience. They spanned the Earth, far and wide and all were at peace. However, this peace was not to last. Years later, humans joined the creatures in creation. They were followed by their more evolved wizard counterparts and both laid war against the creatures. War raged for an aeon and many non-magical creatures lost their sentience. This went on until one day; the remaining creatures converged in a gathering. The humans had driven them backwards and they were in shambles; lost without someone to guide them. Many of them had grown violent in their desperation to survive and protect their kin. They decided to elect a leader. Many strong and brave creatures stepped forward, but they lacked in diplomacy and compassion. This stalemate went on for days until a lithe almost humanoid creature with starlight hair stepped forwards.**_

_**She was one of the fey, a majestic and powerful race with equal parts compassion and intelligence. Understanding filled her for the human race, not hatred. She understood their desire to keep their home safe for she felt it too. Her intention had not been to rule, but to help the other creatures understand the plight of man. However, her intentions mattered not. Her rational benevolent argument swayed the creatures, magical and not, and they felt deep respect for her seep into their bones. The young fey waited for their verdict on her plea, expecting vicious contention and dismissal, but she received neither. The fledgling fey was overwhelmed with shock when as one; all creatures fell to their knees before her. They had found their Queen.**_

_**Days later, with the young fey at the helm, the creatures approached the humans for a truce. Negotiations took weeks, but in the end a truce was agreed. Several...concessions had to be made on the creature's behalf and in return the humans had to agree to forever acknowledge the Creature Queen as a superior authority. Peace was restored and both kinds were able to survive; each with their own puppet leader in the service of the Creature Queen. Eons later, the tradition is still upheld; once a fey, always a fey. From Mirna at the beginning, to Luciana after her, to countless others after them, until Queen Elvyne had Princess Lenora, who after the death of her mother became Queen Lenora mere days after her birth."**_

Lost in her tale, Lenora did not notice the rapidly shifting expressions on Harry's face; first he was intrigued and he too got lost in her tale, but then he cycled through shocked realisation, awe, respect and confusion. Retracting her gaze from the sun, Lenora stared intently into green eyes with majestic golden ones. "My name is Queen Lenora Deeragoh-Eterni and I am the ruler of all creatures."

"Wow," Harry hushed, before scrambling to his feet in an attempt to bow. Tinkling laughter interrupted him and he glanced at her in confusion.

"You need not bow to me, Harry. You are my brother remember? That affords you certain privileges." She said with a wry smirk. Harry smiled slightly back before hesitantly lowering himself back onto the grass at her behest.

"Now for the rest of your explanation," she said. "Firstly, the truth as to why I haven't told you. My rights as 'divine ruler' are sacred if you listen to Endawi. As I told you a while ago, there is an evil man and his followers out there who seek to rule the world. As such, if they could control/manipulate me, they would gain control of a large portion of the world. As a child, I lost my parents to some of these 'Deatheaters' and have been overprotected ever since. Endawi suggested it was unsafe to tell you of my true identity before we were of age to enter school and I agreed with him. If you had known, you could have been in danger. As such, although I apologise, I do not regret it for even a moment." She paused at this point to gage his response.

"Wow...so you...wow." He seemed lost for words. "Wait, danger? Would they try to kill you? They can't, they can't have you too." Lenora rested her hand on his forearm and waited for him to calm down.

"I won't lie to you, yes. However, I have been hidden all of my life. They cannot get to me."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I have faith; none of my subjects would ever let them get their hands on me. In fact, my safety is most of the reason I am not going to Hogwarts. You see, I would be too out in the open there and there is man there who would love nothing more than to manipulate me at this vulnerable age. Oh god, I sound like Endwai, that's exactly what he says. Anyway, so I'm going to Durmstrang instead. It is remote, secret and I'm getting in on a special technicality as they don't usually take girls; I shall be the only female student at Durmstrang. No one would ever expect that I would be sent there."

Seeing that Harry looked as if he was going interrupt, she stopped him. "I know you have questions about all of that, but let me finish first. I want to tell you how I know about your parents before we get into that." Harry paused, shut his mouth and then nodded, acquiescing because the end result would give him more information on his parents.

"Each Creature Queen is connected to the one before her, both through blood and a spiritual link. The spiritual link allows the next Creature Queen to access certain information from the previous one's memories. I used this capability to access the information my mother had on your parents. You see, all creatures, partial or full blood, magical or not, fall under our reign. Your father was an animagus, which means he could transform into a specific animal form; he was a stag. Animagi fall under the category of creature and so, my mother made it her business to know about him and his friends. They became friends I believe." She stopped herself, becoming confused at the easy grin spread across Harry's face.

"We were meant to be friends, siblings even! It wasn't just chance."

"Of course it wasn't Harry," she responded, wheezing when Harry attacked her suddenly. He suddenly burst into hysterical laughter and she joined in, delighted in his joy. Glancing at her pocket watch, Lenora sighed. They were running out of time. "Look Harry, we're running out of time, but there is so much more you need to know. I can tell you most of it some other time, but there is something more you need to know before your eleventh birthday."

At his nod of acceptance, Lenora fell into telling him of his reputation as 'The Boy Who Lived', how Albus Dumbledore would attempt to manipulate and control him and what would inevitably happen on his eleventh birthday. With his unconditional trust in her filling her with confidence in their future, the two formed a plan on how they should twist the events of his eleventh birthday as the sun drifted through the hazy summer sky.

**A/N **

**So there it is. My latest venture. I hope you like it, I have to say, I love where I'm taking this story next. I hope you do too. Please review...I love receiving feedback. I hope you liked the little twists and turns in that chapter. Although, I do apologise for the large amount of dialogue, but I felt the explanation it provided was necessary for the first chapter. Updating for this and Silver Soul should alternate so don't worry if you read that! I won't be abandoning it...ever.**

**Anyway, until the next time.**

**HighFlyer0603,**

**Over and out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

**Hello everyone. Here is the second chapter. Thank you to the stars to everyone who followed/chose a new favourite and reviewed since the first chapter, especially you Corazor (your review made me very happy – thank you for your kind words) I do love this story, even though it is only just beginning and so it makes me overjoyed that some of you like it too. Anyway, enough of my blabbering. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter too.**

**Chapter 2 – A (Not-So) Chance Meeting**

Harry Potter gazed in wonder at the vast marble hall before him. Large shimmering chandeliers cast an opulent glow over the long counters endlessly lining the main hall. He consciously tried not to gawk at the pointy-eared, wrinkly little...people who sat behind the counters. 'Goblins,' he thought to himself, recalling a tale Lenora had told him once. 'Be careful how you act Harry,' she had told him. 'They are quick to take offence when it comes to wizards, so tread carefully.' Harry's head cracked up when Hagrid's gravelly voice filled his senses. "These are the goblins I told yeh about, Harry. They hate wizards though so jus' let me do all the talking." Harry nodded subserviently while Hagrid was looking at him, although once he turned his head, Harry rolled his eyes. This was just one of the many moments that day where Harry understood what Lenora meant. Not wanting to let her down, Harry dogged Hagrid's footsteps.

Harry secretly thought Hagrid was quite nice and genuine, but he was cautious all the same. Hagrid's complete lack of knowledge on his situation prior to the day before was suspicious; especially considering this 'Albus Dumbledore' seemed to know a lot about him. The last Potter internally kicked himself as they walked; he had made a stupid slip up. When Hagrid bunked in the shack on the rocks, Harry accidentally revealed a bag containing food given to him by Lenora; the bag was not the slip up, it was the fact that Hagrid saw the extension charm on it.

Lennie had somehow known what his Uncle would do and so gave him that bag so he would not starve during their days on the run. In an attempt to be hospitable, Harry tried to share some of the food with the giant man, but it didn't go exactly according to plan. When Hagrid noticed the extension charm on the small bag that allowed it to fit so much food in, he persistently questioned Harry. In the end Harry had escaped with a well-placed half-truth that it was from a friend, but he had no idea that she had put an 'extension charm' on it. The black-haired boy felt remorse for a few moments, before coming to the conclusion that it was better for Lennie that way and that was all that mattered.

Arriving at a counter, higher and smaller than all of the others, at the end of the hall, they paused before it. Harry stared up at the goblin behind it for a moment in awe at the previously unseen creature, before returning to looking curiously around the hall as Hagrid addressed the goblin. His eyes widened as he spotted unmistakable crimson locks on the other side of the hall. Lenora was stood there, conversing with an official-looking goblin wearing a monocle. However, Lennie did not look like the Lennie he was used to. Her flaming hair cascaded down her back in gleaming ringlets and was topped with a royal-looking golden circlet; made up of swirling branches with a glittering gem of the consistency of silver starlight at the centre. She wore a pale gilded gown, beautiful in its simplicity and looked every inch the royalty he now knew her to be. Harry was so in awe of her appearance that unbeknownst to him, his mouth had fallen open and he was gaping at her; forgetting the plan.

Hagrid rambled on to Harry as he and the goblin exchanged his key. Now, realising Harry wasn't listening to him, he followed his gaze, alighting on the redheaded royal with a gasp. Harry was shocked from his stupor by Hagrid's exhalation and jumped. "Her Majesty," Hagrid sighed breathily, only ever having seen her on the occasion of her birth, yet recognising her instantly. She had retained the ethereal glow that she had held since birth and in his reverent gaze, was the closest he had ever come to seeing a celestial being.

Hearing Hagrid's sigh due to her heightened senses, Lenora looked up. Motioning for the goblin to wait for a moment, she glided over to them, her golden dress coming alive in the light of the chandeliers. Growing bashful, Hagrid bowed repeatedly before her, mumbling "yer Majesty" reverently. Airy laughter filled his senses and he peeked through his eyelashes at her.

"Rise Hagrid," she said warmly. "There is no need for such formality on a coincidental meeting such as this." Hagrid rose shakily to his full height and beamed at her.

"Of course yeh Majesty. Thank yeh, yer Majesty." Although he was brimming with curiosity, he daren't ask what she was doing there.

"How are you Hagrid? School starts soon, does it not? I'm sure you will be glad to be teaching again." It appeared that Lenora had chosen the correct subject for Hagrid bubbled with enthusiasm.

"Oh yes, yer Majesty. It's 'bout a month now. They've got me teaching care o' the magical creatures again so I can't wait." Hagrid then proceeded to ramble on about his job and responsibilities to a patiently listening Lenora. Harry kept glancing at the redhead, hoping that this was all going according to plan for her.

The loud chiming of a clock from somewhere within the bank shocked Hagrid from his one-sided explanation. Glancing down at an old watch he dug from a cavernous pocket, Hagrid frowned. Looking apologetically at his Queen, Hagrid bowed once more. "My apologies, yer Majesty, but we 'ave ter go now. On a schedule, yeh see; can't be late."

"Of course Hagrid," she said, smiling graciously. "Goodbye, young wizard. Goodbye, Hagrid; I shall see you soon." Both bowed to her before retreating, but not before Lenora called out to Hagrid once again. "Oh, and Hagrid? Let's not mention this meeting to Professor Dumbledore, eh? Let's just keep it between us." Hagrid froze at this, back ramrod straight. From Harry's vantage point he could see the war on Hagrid's face, but Lenora knew of the battle he was facing without having to see his face. Hagrid was immensely loyal and he struggled between his all encompassing loyalty to his Queen and his loyalty to Dumbledore; the man who gave him a job at the school despite his past.

After what felt like hours, Hagrid finally made his decision and nodded. "Of course, yer Majesty." He sighed gravely and then spoke softly to the boy beside him. "Come along Harry." Placing a meaty paw on his back, he led the boy away. Peeking out around Hagrid, Harry waved sneakily at Lenora, watching as she waved back and the goblin from before approached her. However, he wasn't sneaky enough and Hagrid noticed him out of the corner of his eye. "D'ya know her Harry?" He asked cautiously and Harry's hand froze in midair.

"N-o," he responded, shakily. "But she seemed really nice." Mentally apologising to Lenora for his slip up, he hoped her plan would still work. Thankfully, Hagrid did not expect a lie from 'the impressionable, neglected, and completely ignorant on magic' Harry Potter.

"She is," he told him. "She's awfully nice an' more'n good to people like me. She is Queen Lenora, Queen o' the Creatures. Yeh have to keep that to yerself though Harry. We aren't s'posed to jus' tell wizards her name. It would be considered highly punishable by some creatures, so I'd appreciate it if you'd keep it quiet." Harry nodded cautiously, agreeing more for Lenora's sake than Hagrid's, although the man was genuinely nice; he could not overlook his attempts to manipulate him on Dumbledore's behalf, intentional or not. Hagrid let out a sigh of relief and gave Harry a grateful smile, before following the goblin from before down to the vaults.

Lenora stood there in the main hall of Gringotts bank, watching Harry walk away from her; sighing wearily as Griphook led them down into the vaults. Calling over a small goblin, she instructed him to have Hagrid watched while he was in the bank. "Of course," the goblin croaked bowing, not questioning her even as suspicion towards Hagrid rose within him. Dismissing him, Lenora turned towards the Head Goblin once again.

"My apologies, dear Bogrod," she said meekly.

"Not a problem your Majesty." He responded, bowing lightly and defying several goblin stereotypes as he did so.

"That boy is very important to me; this must be handled with tact and care."

"Of course, your Majesty. No one shall know of your interaction or that you even entered the bank this morning."

"Thank you for being so accommodating Bogrod."

"It is my pleasure to serve you, your Majesty. Now, back to business, what is it you require?"

"I wish to enter one of my vaults." Bogrod straightened immediately and nodded sharply.

"Yes, your Majesty, follow me." He said and motioned for her to follow him. Bogrod led the Queen to the carts and down and down they went, spiralling deep into the Earth. In fact, Lenora's vaults were at the end of the cart line, making them the most important and most protected vaults in the entire bank. Lenora felt the violent hum of layer upon layer of enchantment and wards, each representing a different kind of creature magic, as they descended.

Reaching their stop, Bogrod took her hand gently and helped her from the cart. Even now that they had reached their destination, Lenora could still feel the sea of enchantments brushing against her senses. Glancing at the goblin beside her, her eyes filled with empathy as she watched him struggle against the tide. "Do they really need such strong protection?" She asked warmly.

"Yes," was his definite response. "We will do all it takes to protect the Queen and her property, no matter the cost." Lenora frowned at this, but knew she would not sway him. Her pity rose as she watched the proud goblin struggle through the magical mist. Raising a tiny hand, the redheaded Queen placed a bubble/shield around them, protecting Bogrod from the magic. His head whipped round instantly and his heart filled with reverence for his gracious Queen. Bowing and thanking her profusely, he led her on.

The British vaults of the Creature Queen left her agog in awe. From the cart stop, they opened up into a grand antechamber of pure white stone with a mosaic floor. On closer inspection, Lenora saw that the mosaic depicted the first moment of her origin; the moment the Creature Queen was chosen. Countless creatures were bowed before a figure of light. Their interpretation of what the Creature Queen was brought tears to her eyes.

Looking away from the floor, Lenora saw several doors set into a curved wall. "This is one of the final layers of protection, your Majesty. Only one door leads to your vaults and it is none of these." Turning away from the doors, Bogrod walked to an exposed patch of wall, devoid of any distinguishing features. Taking out a tiny knife, Bogrod nicked both of his palms and then pressed them against the wall, allowing his blood to seep into the stone. "Now you must do the same and then speak your name in both dragon-tongue and fey-speak." Following his instructions, Lenora did as she was bid.

Moments after speaking her name, a strange sound could be heard and the door disintegrated, allowing them moments to get inside before the door reappeared once more. Looking around, all Lenora could see was an endless corridor made of the same white stone as the antechamber. Taking a torch from the wall, Bogrod waited for her to ignite it. "This is THE final line of defence in a sense. This corridor is imbued with an enchantment that means it can literally go on forever. If ever someone managed to force you to let them in here, they would not be able to get anywhere. This is because the corridor responds directly to what you are looking for via your thought patterns and it will only do this when you are not being coerced. For example, think of what you came for today and the vault/vaults it is in will come to you."

Lenora was immensely impressed by this and made sure to let him know. "This is incredible goblin infrastructure." She said, beaming at the goblin beside her. Bogrod flushed red at such high praise and bowed again.

"Thank you, your Majesty. The goblin nation takes pride in your joy in our work."

Lenora smiled warmly at him and he attempted a slight grin. The redhead giggled, before tossing her hair and focusing. Only seconds later a blood red door appeared sans number, with a golden doorknob at the centre. Reaching out, Lenora felt the sting as it drew blood from her hand, before the door swung open. Stepping inside with Bogrod diligently following, Lennie found herself in awe of what she knew to be one of many family artefact vaults. Leaving Bogrod by the door, Lenora floated around the room using her magic to light the red crystals imbedded in the walls, allowing her to see everything in the room perfectly.

Running her hands over vast bookshelves, Lenora removed several thick tomes on magic (both fey and dragon) and creature rights. She knew she would need to step more into the political light from now one and dreaded it. However, it was for her people and she would do right by them, no matter what it took. Lenora let go of the books, allowing them to float in the air behind her before drifting over to a large jewellery box. From this, she removed several items of jewellery and powerful charms, placing them in one of many velvet bags kept in the first drawer of the jewellery box. Closing it once more, she allowed the bag to float in the air around her.

Finished with her tasks, she turned to Bogrod. "I heard that my inventory will automatically update itself to indicate my withdrawals the moment I leave the vault, is this true?"

"Yes, your Majesty; you have indeed heard correctly." Lenora smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you. I suppose that shall save me asking for the inventory to edit it myself then."

Spinning on her heel to leave the vault, Lenora froze as a tapestry caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Moving quickly to it, she stared up at it in fascination. The tapestry was made up of bright, vibrant colours and clearly illuminated through the use of embedded gems. Said tapestry depicted the visage of many females – fey – wearing royal finery. Although she had never seen most of those faces before, Lenora felt a deep connection to each and every one of them and recognised the tapestry for what it was. A representation of the majority of her Creature Queen ancestors; including her mother in her prime and even, at the very bottom, a tiny Lenora at the age she presently was. An awed sigh escaped her as she got lost in the tapestries every inch.

So lost was she, that she didn't even notice when she let loose an unconscious plea. "If I can be half the Queen that each and every one of them was, I'll be glad."

"You already are," the goblin behind her mumbled reverently, yet truthfully.

**A/N**

**I hope you guys enjoyed this second chapter. I know it seems kind of like filler, but I think it's really important. So, sorry about that if you are of that opinion. It should be a couple of weeks until the next chapter, maybe quicker if I'm not awfully busy. The next chapter is where the real fun begins. I hope you'll follow/favourite and review this. I love reviews because they really make me feel like people actually like/have an interest in what I'm writing. See you in a couple of weeks. I hope your lives are good and prosperous until then.**

**HighFlyer0603,**

**Over and out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

**Here is chapter 3 of The Creature Queen, I apologise for the delay in publication; life has been insanely busy! There should be a limit on the amount of work you can receive! Anyway, you don't want to hear my whining, please enjoy the latest chapter. **

Chapter 3 – The First Year at Hogwarts and Durmstrang

2nd September 1991

Dearest Harry,

I'm sorry we haven't seen each other since your birthday. I wasn't able to escape the Reserve at all in the last month. I think they caught on to my escapes and were monitoring me more closely. We've also had a large influx of dragons rescued from illegal dragon dealers recently so we've all had an exhausting time of it. I'm sorry for leaving you hanging with Hagrid and the Dursley's, I hope you've been hanging in there. I'll be sending you letters frequently throughout the year as I promised though.

I hope you got to Hogwarts alright. My arrival to Durmstrang went smoothly, although the amount of students staring at me was ridiculous! I mean, I know I'm the only girl, but I thought that was a bit much; it was like they had never seen a girl before. The castle is beautiful; four storeys high and made of burnished stone. You can definitely tell their main animal is an eagle though; I've seen plenty of eagle statues around the place already and I've only seen a fraction of the school. I can tell I'm going to love it here, the nature is so gorgeous; the school's backdrop is a large mountain region and within the bounds of the grounds there are two large lakes. I've enclosed a picture of the school so you can see what I mean.

Durmstrang Institute doesn't have houses in the same way Hogwarts does, but I do wonder which house you got sorted in to. Don't think I'll judge you based on your house though Harry, you have to remember that not everyone conforms to house stereotypes and it is unfair to base your opinion on them. Speaking of other students, I want to hear all about the friends you've made. I know I know you've only had a day, but you're a lot more desirable as a friend than you seem to think. A lot of the males are a bit nervous at my presence still, but I'll get them round. I've made friends with another first year called Sergei from Bulgaria; he seems rather nice so far. Durmstrang also does a kind of 'buddy/mentor' system and I met mine last night; a third year called Viktor Krum. He also seems nice if not a bit quiet.

I hope you're settling in well.

Your sister,

Lenora.

Harry smiled warmly as he read the writing on the blood red paper and munched on a spoonful of cereal. He barked a laugh at some of Lenora's comments, making Ron, who was stuffing his face, jump. Reading on, he shook his head at her not so subtle advice and felt a pang in his chest. Reaching the end of the letter, he felt his chest tighten even further at the way she had signed it off. He missed his sister greatly and wished she had gone to Hogwarts with him. Looking at the moving photograph that had fallen from the letter, Harry had to agree with Lenora on Durmstrang's beauty. It was a picturesque place and with her love of nature, he could understand why she would like it there.

Harry was shocked from his musing by Ron's loud voice. "Hey, who's that from?" Harry glanced up at him and considered his answer.

"A friend of mine."

"Oh, is she a muggle from where you live?" He asked, knowing of Harry's supposed lack of knowledge on the magical world.

"No, she's magical as well. She lives in Romania." Ron's attention was caught by the word Romania and he ignored the first part.

"Hey, my brother Charlie lives in Romania. He's a dragon keeper on the Reserve there!" Harry was stunned by Ron's excited response and thought to himself, 'wow...small world. I wonder what kind of terms Lennie is on with his brother.' Telling Ron he'd see him later, Harry rushed off to the Owlery to respond immediately...only stopping to ask someone where it was.

3rd September 1991

Lenora,

I have missed you, sister. Don't worry about all of that, I sure gave the Dursley's everything I had. I bet they'll be hoping I don't come back in the summer! I reckon they've probably told everyone they know that I've gone to a delinquent school. Hagrid was nice. I like him.

Getting to Hogwarts was a bit of a hassle; Uncle Vernon eventually agreed to take me to the Station, but I had no idea how to get onto the platform. A nice redheaded lady helped me though; I actually met 3 of her sons on the train. Fred and George Weasley (who are twins) seem to be a good sort and really funny, but they're third years. They seem like the prankster sort so I think you'd get on well with them. Their younger brother Ron is a first year and my first friend here. I've met some other boys, but Ron is my only proper friend so far. There was one really annoying girl on the train though!

I've been sorted into Gryffindor house; the house of the brave at heart. The hat wanted to put me in Slytherin, but I managed to convince it not to. I know what you'll say to that, but I don't want to be in that house. I met a really unpleasant boy in Madam Malkin's and then again on the train and he was sorted into Slytherin. All of the Weasley brothers are in Gryffindor, including their elder brother Percy. Unfortunately, that annoying girl from the train is in Gryffindor as well!

That picture of Durmstrang is amazing. Do you think you could get me a camera that does that? Hogwarts is a lot bigger than Durmstrang, but just as beautiful. We had to use boats to get to the castle and the view was incredible. I think I'm really going to like it here, but I wish you were here too. I'm writing this just before lessons begin, so I've got to go so I'm not late.

Write to you soon.

Your brother,

Harry.

Lennie,

I had potions for the first time today with Professor Snape. I don't understand why, but the man seems to hate me. He mocked me, calling me "our new celebrity" and then humiliated me for not knowing the purpose of some random potion ingredients when most of the class didn't know either! Hagrid invited Ron and I down for tea and he told me I was over-reacting, said Snape had no reason to hate me. What did I ever do to him?

Also, I saw something odd in Hagrid's newspaper. You said Gringotts was one of the safest places in the world to keep things, right. Well, someone tried to break into a vault on my birthday; the day Hagrid and I were at the bank. That's not the weird bit though, that same vault was the one Hagrid took something out of earlier that day. Why would someone break into that vault? How did they manage it?

Your brother,

Harry.

Harry,

I'll deal with it. Thanks for telling me.

Lennie

Dear Severus,

I've heard about your treatment of my brother. We need to talk.

Her Majesty,

Queen Lenora.

Dear Hagrid,

We need to talk about where your loyalties lie. That, and a certain Gringotts vault.

Her Majesty,

Queen Lenora.

Dear Lenora,

I've become the youngest Seeker in a century for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. It turns out; I'm a natural at flying. We had our first flying lesson and Neville fell off of his broom, breaking his wrist. Madam Hooch told us not to move while she took Neville to the hospital wing, but Neville had dropped his Remembrall from his Gran and that Draco Malfoy I told you about took it. I couldn't just not do anything...so I flew after him. Professor McGonagall caught me and I was certain I was going to get in so much trouble! She took me to the Gryffindor Quidditch captain though and I was made seeker there and then. I can't believe that even happened! You aren't even allowed to try out for the team until second year.

Also, after a supposed duel against Malfoy last night, that turned out to be a trap, we (Ron, Hermione, Neville and I) ended up on the forbidden area of the third floor and found a three-headed dog! It was terrifying! The strangest thing about the dog though, despite it being three-headed, was that it was standing on a trapdoor. I wonder what it is guarding; do you know anything about it?

How is it going at Durmstrang? I can't believe most of them have gone from reserved to protective in a matter of weeks!

Your brother,

Harry.

Dear Harry,

Wow, that's amazing! Well done, I expect full play by play of any games you play. Professor McGonagall is known to be quite strict so you're lucky you got away with that...not that it wasn't good you were helping a friend. Be prepared for jealousy for your new position Harry. Quidditch team positions are highly coveted, especially by students who ordinarily can't try out for them.

A Cerberus? That's strange, I'm not aware of any agreement to house a Cerberus inside Hogwarts, especially if it's guarding something (all creatures are under my jurisdiction so I should have been consulted if the dog is in the slightest possible danger; which anything is when it is guarding something). I'm sure that answers your question, but no, I don't know. I'm going to find out though. Keep an eye out for me Harry?

Durmstrang's great, all of my classes are great, the way some of the male students follow me around now...not so much. I'm starting to miss them ignoring me. The headmaster gave some speech to everyone about me being 'the only daughter of Durmstrang' and so having to be protected. It seems some of them have taken it a tad too literally. I'm getting ready to pull my hair out and we've only been here a couple of weeks!

Well done again on getting onto the Quidditch team.

Your sister,

Lennie

Lennie,

Happy Halloween. I'm starting to believe I'm a danger magnet. I fought a troll today. Well, it was Ron's fault; he upset Hermione after she was the only one to succeed in levitation in charms. She ran away crying, but Ron was too stubborn to go after her and apologise. So, anyway, at the feast (which was delicious by the way) my Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher ran in shouting about the troll. Hermione had no idea about it, so we kind of snuck away from the prefects to warn her. We found her, but...we also found the troll. Don't worry, I'm not hurt. I mean, my wand got a bit snotty, but I'm alright. So are Ron and Hermione. We got lucky and managed to knock the troll out, but professor McGonagall found us and scolded us. I thought we were going to be in such trouble, but Hermione came to our rescue by lying to McGonagall. She's not as annoying as I thought she was, I think we're actually friends now; her, Ron and me.

Don't worry about me, Lennie. I just wanted to let you know. Also, I've got my first Quidditch match in a few days. Wish me luck!

Your brother,

Harry.

P.S. I want to say thank you again for my Nimbus 2000. I still can't believe you bought me a broomstick. I'll put it to good use in the days to come!

Dearest Harry,

Good luck! I know you'll kick the opposing teams butt out there. Make sure to write to me to tell me the score!

Your sister,

Lenora.

P.S. In the package with this letter are cauldron cakes. However, these are my special recipe cakes; they are infused with a secret fey plant which is supposed to bring luck and help with confidence. Viktor says they help him before a Quidditch game. It would make me very happy if you would share them with your teammates.

Harry smiled as he re-read her letter while chomping on one of his sister's cakes. They were very good and he was of half a mind to keep them all to himself. However, his early morning nerves were dissipating already and he knew the right thing to do would be to share them with the rest of the Gryffindor team. Sighing heavily at the things his morals (and his sister) made him do; Harry rose from the breakfast table and made his way out to the Quidditch pitch.

Reaching his teammates, Harry saw he was the last to arrive. Oliver had insisted that they fit in one last practice before the game that day and so as Harry fell into line by Fred and George, he was already halfway through one of his 'infamous speeches' (according to the twins anyway). Waiting until Oliver was finished, Harry held out the box to his fellow Quidditch players. "Want one?" He asked begrudgingly with a slight pout. The tall dreadlocked third year that was Angelina Johnson was the first to move towards his outstretched hand containing the box of cakes.

"What are they?" She asked tentatively, admiring the careful precision in the Quidditch-related decoration of each one.

"Cauldron cakes," He responded and she looked at him as if to say 'duh'. "My sister made them and sent them to me; she says that they contain a special ingredient that brings luck and encourages confidence in your abilities. Apparently they're a hit with Quidditch players at her school. Personally, I think I should eat them all because she's my sister, but here." At this, he thrust the box out before him and waited for her to take one. He didn't have to wait long as each member of the team dug into the box and extracted a cake each despite Oliver's condemning stare.

"You shouldn't eat before Quidditch practice; it will drastically reduce your efficiency!" He said, frowning down at them.

"Come on Oliver, you know you want to. Look, there is even one especially with a little captain badge on it for you." Alicia Spinnet interjected cajolingly. The team watched as Oliver looked longingly at the little cake, until finally one of the Weasley twins moved to take it.

"Well if he doesn't want it, I'll have it." He reasoned, delighted to have another of the cakes. Oliver's face darkened and he lunged at George and the almost empty cake box. Snatching it from George's hand, he snarled, "Mine!" This was much to the amusement of their fellow teammates as it was a well known fact amongst them that the favourite sweet of both the Weasley twins and Oliver Wood was cauldron cakes. They scowled at each other for a moment before bursting into raucous laughter. Harry watched as they chomped on the cakes, each making sounds of contentment as they consumed his sister's food.

Moments later, their corner of the hushed Quidditch pitch was full of appraising voices complimenting Lenora on her cooking (not that they knew her by name) and asking if there were any more cakes/baked goods hanging around. Blushing slightly at all of the attention, Harry tried to answer their questions while not giving away too much, but jumped out of his skin when two different arms were slung around his shoulders. Glancing down at the long freckled arms, Harry braced himself for the inevitable; pranking, joking, or a horrifying mixture of both.

"Sounds like a right good bird, this sister of yours." One of the twins joked.

"D'ya have a picture?" The other asked, both with matching grins on their mischievous faces. Harry rolled his eyes at this and sighed.

"I'm sure she'd _love_ to know someone has referred to her as a bird; tell you what, I'll put that in my next letter and we can see how she'd react. Trust me; you'd be biting off more than you could chew." Harry decided he did not like their grins at this. "The answer to your question is yes, but there's no way I'm showing you."

"Aw, come on Potter. Don't worry mate-"

"We like 'em feisty."

"Please stop doing that, you're freaking the newbie's out with your 'twin sense'." Angelina called a wry grin on her face. Those boys were suckers for good food...and girls that matched their temperament.

"We can't help that –"

"We finish each other's sentences."

"We are one!" They intoned together before laughing at the mildly disturbed looks on their teammates faces. Waving their hands dismissively through their laughter as if to say 'carry on, we'll shut up now,' the twins clapped Harry on the back and let the subject of his sister go for that moment. Rolling his eyes and shifting away from the twins, Harry felt more than a little guilty and annoyed at how much information he had inadvertently revealed on his sister; he had narrowly avoided a crisis and would have to be more careful in the future. Shaking his head ruefully, Harry returned his attention to Oliver and Quidditch, the momentary joy at his sister's cooking over. Now they had Slytherins to beat.

Dear Harry,

Merry Christmas! I've put your present in with this letter (I told you I wouldn't forget!). It's a shame you can't come and stay with me this Christmas; we'll have to make up for that in the summer. I really wanted to be able to show you a Dragon Reserve Christmas. I'm glad your friend Ron and his brothers are still going to be at Hogwarts with you though. Sadly, as a result of this, I'm going to spend my Christmas avoiding Charlie Weasley so as not to be conned into meeting his parents. He says he's told them all about me and they're desperate to meet the youngest Dragon keeper in history; I say...RUN!

I hope you enjoy the Hogwarts feast and have an amazing Christmas! I have to get going, Dragon's wait for no man...or Dragon-Fey woman.

Merry Christmas brother!

Your sister,

Lenora.

Dear Lennie,

Merry Christmas to you too! Thank you for my present; I've never seen those sweets and that book will come in handy, how did you know I was looking for it? I hope you like yours; I didn't have a lot to work with. Lennie, did you send me an invisibility cloak for Christmas?

Also, there's something else I have to ask you about. Yesterday, I came across a strange mirror. It was gold and engraved with strange writing, but it didn't just show me my reflection. It showed me mum and dad and even you. We were a family! You all waved at me, but you couldn't speak. Somehow I feel even lonelier than I did before now. Do you think they miss me too? Do they watch over me?

Your brother,

Harry.

My dearest brother,

Let's call it a sister's intuition shall we? Thank you for my gift, I appreciate anything you give me. No, I didn't. I assume you know it came from your father, but it should have been inaccessible until you either reached the age of majority or were proven to be a 'half-decent prankster'. I have an idea who may have sent it to you though.

That is called the Mirror of Erised or Desire as its reflection would read. The writing reads; 'I show not your face, but your heart's desire'. It is said to show the deepest desires of whoever looks into it. However, the mirror is a dangerous thing. Men have been driven mad by desire when faced with that mirror. I wouldn't be surprised if it is moved in the near future. If it is, you will never see it again.

You will never be alone Harry, I will always be with you. They watch over you every day, they see everything you see and I know they would be nothing but proud of you, Harry Potter. Never forget that you were the most precious thing in the world to the both of them, they were never happier than the day you came into the world. Remember you are loved brother, cherish that and do not get hung up on that mirror!

Love your sister,

Lenora.

Dear Lennie,

We've got a problem. Hagrid got a dragon egg off of some dodgy guy in a pub and he's adamant about keeping it. He lives in a shack that contains a lot of wood, for god's sake. He's got this ridiculous book full of rubbish about keeping dragons; it's not even remotely realistic. He has no idea what he's doing and he thinks it is going to hatch any day now. I don't know what to do, but I think Ron was going to try and get hold of Charlie. I need your help Lennie; I don't know what to do. If it helps, it's a Norwegian Ridgeback egg apparently.

Please get back to us as soon as possible.

Your brother,

Harry.

Lenora's response came immediately and it was full of irritation.

Harry,

The trading or selling of Dragon eggs is illegal and in the face of the Creature Queen, likely to get your throat cut. How dare he! I am aware of Hagrid's desire for a Dragon; it is something that he has always wanted. You must contact me the moment it hatches, you could all get in serious trouble for the entire situation and I won't risk the endangerment of one of my own despite Hagrid's good intentions. Once the Dragon is hatched, you must write to me immediately. After that, I shall send a contingency of mine and Charlie's co-workers to retrieve the wee one. I'm sorry, but it cannot remain with Hagrid, it would not be safe or right. Convince him to allow me to take it away under the guise of it being the idea of Charlie Weasley; I will instruct Charlie to plant the seed in his brother's mind.

Stick to your end of the deal and others will come out none the wiser. Remember Harry, I need to know as soon as you know it has hatched.

Your sister,

Lenora.

Dear Lennie,

It has hatched. Hagrid thinks it is a male and has called it Norbert. He's a menace though; he set fire to at least 3 different things while I was there. There is also another problem though, Malfoy was spying on us; he knows about the dragon! I'm sorry, I don't think we've got a lot of time. What should we do?

One thing I wondered about though, don't you have a way of finding out when a Dragon is born without being told?

Your brother,

Harry.

Harry,

Saturday. Get the hatchling to the tallest tower of Hogwarts without being seen by midnight Saturday and my colleagues will meet you there. I will have Charlie send Ron the same information so that we can pretend I had no part in this. One of these men will bear my seal that he will show you to allow you to recognise him.

Go quickly Harry; you will be tight for time.

Your sister,

Lenora.

Under the light of the moon and the glittering stars, Harry and Hermione lugged the heavy wooden crate up the steep spiralling staircase. Stopping frequently to catch their breath, the two of them worked quickly attempting to make up for the lack of Ron's assistance. They moved as quietly as two first-years carrying a Dragon could and narrowly avoided both the prefects patrolling and Filch.

Arriving at the summit, Harry poked his head out from beneath the invisibility cloak and turned his face to the onyx sky. The two children waited with bated breath for any sign of movement and were well rewarded. Minutes later, several blobs could be seen clearly contrasting with the ebony night. They approached quickly, soon forming into large men atop broomsticks angling to hover before them.

One man leapt from his broom and landed lithely in front of Harry with the grace of a wildcat. He was tall; probably topping Professor Snape in height, with starlight hair and piercing sea foam eyes. Extending a hand to him, the silent man revealed a square of starched fabric emblazoned with a red dragon curled around a pair of wings and a fang. Gulping, Harry nodded in acknowledgement of the display of The Creature Queen's insignia before indicating the crate with one outstretched palm. "This is the dragon," he spoke quietly.

"Thank you, young one." The silver-haired man spoke, his heavy accent roughening his words. "Her Majesty sends her regards and a warning; beware the snake in the grass, the thing you expect is not always what you receive. Eyes open, young one, and be cautious." The tall man whispered as he passed Harry, going unnoticed by Hermione who was staring up at Charlie's (and Lenora's, although she did not know it) friends.

Harry watched as the man approached the crate and bent down, whispering softly to the growling Dragon hatchling. He whipped several tiny cables from a pocket in his striking red coat and with a whisper of magic, enlarged them and hooked them onto the crate. Throwing the other end of the cable to his companions, the large man returned to his broom. "Thank you for your help young ones. We must return quickly so as to cause the smallest amount of damage to the hatchling." Each shadowed rider nodded their head before rising to the sky once again. The man who had spoken waited a moment to ensure a safe lift-off of the crated hatchling before speaking to them one final time. "Goodbye, children. May we meet again someday." Harry was not the only one to notice that his eyes were focused on him for the last part. The two children watched and waved goodbye as he ascended and the group departed as quickly as they had come.

Dear Harry,

Thank you for helping with the retrieval of the Dragon. Please tell Hagrid to dispose of that atrocious Dragon book, Norbert is actually a girl and has been renamed Norberta. Could you also impart that if he ever barters for a Dragon egg again, I will feed him to big Mona. Please could you also give him this and thank him for hatching her as carefully as he did.

Your sister,

Lenora.

Enclosed was the first tiny fang of the Dragon hatchling Norberta.

Lenora's head snapped up from her plate and a deep dread and grief filled her. Glancing across the large hall at the headmaster for a split second, Lenora thrust her gilded chair away from the long table and ran for the large ashlar doors at the forefront of the great hall. Running down the corridor, Lenora threw aside the grand metal doors that gave way to the outside world and kicking her shoes off, vanished into the night.

Stepping out from behind a large oak, Lenora twisted her way through a sparse outcrop of trees before coming to a moonlit glade. Casting her eyes across it, she dropped to her knees and her heart dropped into her stomach. Grief filled golden eyes and they began to shimmer brightly, water glistening on long lashes. Highlighted by the light of the moon and surrounded by wild flowers wilting in despair, a pure white creature with a twisted horn lay still in an unnatural position.

Stumbling on shaking legs across the glade, Lenora fell heavily onto the vibrant grass beside the majestic beast. Mournful tears streaked down her unnaturally pale face. Only the moon bore witness as she concealed glassy orbs with one quaking hand and wept. Soft chanting filled the air and the unicorn glowed golden for a moment; in sync with the glow in the Creature Queen's eyes. Standing and stepping away, Lenora stood sentinel as the unicorn was returned to the ground from which it was borne.

The crunch of twigs from behind her startled her, but she did not turn. The redheaded Queen remained frozen until she could no longer sense the unicorn's presence and then sent one final prayer to the sky. Heavy hesitant footfalls approached her before halting at her side. She did not need to look to know it was Hagrid. Neither spoke for there was nothing they could say that would change what had happened and so they stood together under the moonlit sky until all of the stars had vanished into the dark.

Harry awoke to the scratchy feel of starched sheets and he jerked up into a sitting position. Calming slightly as he realised he was in the hospital wing, Harry relaxed into the bed slightly but froze as he realised there was someone in his cubicle with him. Soft laughter filled the air and messy black hair swept across his face as he whirled to face the chair by his bedside. Sparkling golden eyes and blood red hair met his gaze and Harry's face cracked open with a wide grin, "Lennie!" He cried, overjoyed at seeing his sister. "Shh," Lenora whispered one finger over her mouth.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, lowering his voice so they would not be overheard.

"Not happy to see me, Harry? Should I go?" She joked, a teasing smirk growing on her face.

"No!" He cried, forgetting to be quiet. A tiny hand covered his mouth in an instant, muffling his cry and she laughed.

"Don't worry brother; I'm not going anywhere just yet." Relief spread across Harry's face like wildfire.

"I heard you got into some trouble, how are you feeling?"

"You know what happened?"

"Yes and I'm struggling between being proud of your bravery and wanting to smack you for your stupidity. How about we compromise with a hug?" She lunged from the chair at him and embraced him tightly.

"Are you mad?" He asked hesitantly, full of childish concern. Pressing her lips lightly to his cheek, Lenora sat back.

"No, dear one; I'm merely concerned. I'm proud too. However, I have to warn you that this was only the beginning. The darkest days are yet to come."

"Darkest days?"

"I wish I could tell you, but I'm not allowed. Remember Harry, I will always be with you no matter what!"

Although the last scion of house Potter remained confused, he did not question his sister. For in her tortured eyes he could see pain and fear at whatever was coming that she could not reveal. So with a weak smile Harry was content to lay back and converse quietly with his beloved sister and drift between the lands of conscious and unconsciousness.

If he was awake when the sound of heavy footsteps and voices filled the air – causing Lenora to press one final kiss to his bruised cheek before vanishing in a flash of white and red – then he did not show it. He was content to slumber; finally at peace in the knowledge that his first year at Hogwarts was finally over and he would soon be at home with his sister once again.

**A/N**

**Well there it is. This is the new format I'm trying out, mainly as a way of covering the less 'important' years faster and in a less boring way (I hope). Please tell me what you think via the review button and I hope you enjoy it enough to keep reading. Thank you for your support and I hope the next chapter does not take so long to appear. **

**HighFlyer0603, **

**Over and out. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**Hello everyone, here is the fourth chapter of TCQ and I would like to thank you all for reading this far and any of you who have favourite[d]/followed/reviewed my story (I love you guys). Anyway, I won't keep you. Admittedly, this chapter is filler between first and second year, but I hope you enjoy it all the same.**

**Chapter 4 – A Summer with Dragons **

It was on a bright summer's day that the Dursley's were shocked from their usual Sunday morning routine of sitting in front of the television by one long ring of their doorbell. Harry's head popped up from where he was scrubbing the kitchen floor and he moved as if to answer the door. It was the sound of his uncle's voice which stopped him. "I'll get that, boy. I'll give them a piece of my mind, interrupting our family time. How dare they?" The dark-haired boy tried to swallow his snort at this as he did not consider slumping in front of the television all day 'family time'. He watched as the expansive frame of his uncle bumbled down the hall before returning his attention to the now shiny floor.

Harry listened as the dark wooden door was thrown open, hitting the opposite wall with a loud bang. His Uncle's angry bustling started mere moments later, but stopped abruptly with a raucous splutter. A lilting voice filled the hall and Harry dropped his sponge in shock. "My apologies for intruding sir, my name is Lenora and I was wondering if I could visit with Harry?" Her mild accent slightly distorted her words and Harry rushed out into the spotless hallway, "Lennie!" He shouted, stumbling to a stop behind his uncle.

As for Vernon Dursley, he was gobsmacked. Before him stood a little lady with amber eyes and flaming hair...in fact he had only ever seen such a vibrant shade once before. The child before him was the personification of wealth and grace; dressed in an expensive silk gown of deep purple with jewels glittering around her neck and a diamond grin. He was hard pressed not to give into his urge to bow to this 'Lenora'. "I apologise for intruding Mr Dursley, but I was hoping to talk with your nephew." Although he tried to remain angry, Vernon felt his rage dissipate in the face of her good breeding and wealth.

Scoffing internally, Lenora tried to keep the amiable smile on her face. 'Figures,' she thought with derision. 'I only have to wear a fancy dress and some jewellery to have them eating out of the palm of my hand...muggles'. "Of course, would you come in for a moment? The boy-I mean Harry is busy with his chores at the minute, but I'm sure he will be with us shortly." At this, Vernon glared over his shoulder at the boy peering around the kitchen door and Harry cursed himself for his apparent inability to be sneaky. Glancing up just before the door slammed in his face, Harry caught the wry grin on his sister's face and the wink she sent his way.

As Vernon Dursley led the young girl into their overly spotless living room, Petunia leapt to her feet with a confused frown on her face. "This is Lenora, Petunia. She says she is a friend of the boys-Harry." Lenora stepped fully into view and bowed her head slightly in Harry's aunt's direction.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs Dursley. I have heard a lot about your family." This was not a lie, although hardly any of what she had heard was savoury.

"I'm afraid to say that I cannot return the courtesy child as he has never spoken of you to me before. May I ask of your family name?" Petunia fired back in a snobbish tone, looking keenly at her and paying special attention to her slight accent.

"My name is Lenora Deeragoh-Eterni, Mrs Dursley. Forgive me; I suggested to your nephew that we keep our friendship low-key so as to avoid issue." Her silky voice filled the stuffy room and Petunia's eyes widened.

"_The _Eterni?" Her voice wobbled slightly and her eyes grew to incredible proportions as the girl nodded.

"Petunia? What is up with you? It is just a name." Vernon Dursley interrupted the frozen atmosphere angrily.

However Petunia knew something he did not and Lenora knew it. It seemed Severus had imparted more knowledge on her and Lily as children than she had previously thought. Petunia stuttered as she tried to muster up a reasonable explanation, but Lenora cut in smoothly. "My mother is a rather successful fashion designer, Mr Dursley. Undoubtedly your wife has worn or at least heard of her clothes line and recognises my lineage." Seeing the glint in her eyes, Petunia began to nod frantically.

"Yes, of course. That was it." She agreed, her smile stretching tightly across sallow cheeks. In response Lenora gave a cheeky grin.

"I simply wished to save your nephew from our status as minor celebrities as much as I could. Here, please accept this as a peace offering." She said, reaching into her bag. Then, she presented the Dursley's with a bottle of expensive wine and some luxury chocolates. Petunia took them with shaking hands, thanking her quietly and Lenora gave a relieved sigh although she felt marginally guilty at the lie. She had worked tirelessly with Endawi to come up with and memorise a passable cover story in the muggle world, but it certainly helped that Harry's Aunt had at least a slight inkling towards who she really was. She would have to have a talk with Severus to discover how far that knowledge truly went.

They sat there in silence for a few awkward moments before Harry walked into the room. He raised a hesitant eyebrow at her, only sitting when she nodded discreetly. "Hi Lennie," he called, bubbling over with his joy at seeing her.

"Hello Harry," she smiled joyfully, flipping crimson hair over one slim shoulder. "The reason I'm here is to formally request your permission for Harry to stay with me for several weeks at my summer home in Romania." Lenora did not flinch at the almost-lie; technically it was her summer home for now as she lived at Durmstrang for most of the year. The Dursley's instantly looked as though they had swallowed lemons. "Romania?" Mr Dursley asked, hoarse.

"Yes, don't worry you shan't have to supply plane fare or sort anything at such short notice. We can handle everything."

"The boy doesn't even have a passport!" Vernon blustered. Mrs Dursley went pale at the determined look in her eyes and realised there was nothing they could do to stop the young Queen.

"We will take care of everything, Mr Dursley." Lenora repeated, serenely calm even as Mr Dursley went puce. Vernon went to rebuke her again, but Petunia cut across him.

"Do you want to go, Harry?" She asked, showing her first ever bout of familial concern towards Harry. For his part, Harry sat there looking gobsmacked at this for a moment before nodding frantically.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia. I really really do." He looked pleadingly at his aunt, practically vibrating with childish excitement. Petunia sighed, giving in.

"Fine, you can go. When do you want to leave Miss Eterni and how long will he be gone?"

"As soon as he is finished packing Mrs Dursley and it will be approximately two weeks if that is to your liking?"

"Yes, that's fine." Petunia said, sighing at the rage on Vernon's face. She was momentarily distracted as Harry threw himself at her, thanking her over and over in a loud breathless tone. Extricating himself from his aunt, Harry bounded up the stairs. Nodding gratefully to the two Dursley's, Lenora followed Harry intent on making sure he packed the right clothes and the like.

Shutting the Dursley's austere brown door behind her, Lenora led Harry away from the house to a small copse of trees down the road. Harry felt a strange presence at his back and glancing around was shocked to see two men in prim black suits following them down the path. However, the strangest part about them was the swords glinting at their waists. "Uh, Lennie?" He whispered, leaning into his sister.

"Yes Harry?" She asked pleasantly.

"There are people following us." Lenora drew to a stop suddenly then turned to scowl over her shoulder.

"I did not think you would honestly follow me here," she called, mild irritation clouding her tone. Harry's head snapped around and he glanced in shock between her and the two men. Their faces remained stoic and he watched as they raised their eyebrows simultaneously. Looking closer, Harry realised that they must have been twins – recognising the identical looks that the Weasley twins shared. They had dark hair and equally dark eyes and looked as though they could have been carved from stone. "We are bound to protect you, your Majesty. We cannot do that from half way across the world." They spoke simultaneously, their voices deep and dark.

"Hmmph, I'm in no danger in this muggle town."

"You can never be too cautious, my Queen."

"As you say. Harry, these are my personal bodyguards. I won't tell you their names because it breaks some kind of code they follow. Once they trust you, they will tell you themselves. Bodyguards, this is Harry Potter...my brother." In unison they tilted their heads to him, but said no more.

Turning away from them, Lenora sighed once more before gesturing to one gnarled oak. "Place your hand on that tree Harry and we will get going." Harry did as he was bid and watched as all three of the others mirrored his motion. A golden glow filled the air, ochre eyes shone and the Queen, her blood brother and her bodyguards vanished from Little Whinging.

Long stone huts spanned the plane as far as the eye could see, yet Harry could see hardly a lick of wood. Understandable really, considering the creatures they worked with, but he was surprised all the same by the craftsmanship achieved even without the presence of the flammable material. The compound appeared to be laid out in a circular fashion with living areas and facilities around the edge and the dragons at the centre. Harry gawped in awe at the impressive beasts; he had never seen anything like them. Monstrously large with sharp fangs and fiery breath, they could have trampled him in an instant, but they didn't. Lightly enclosed in the sparsest of fences they appeared almost docile and this was the exact opposite of what he was expecting to see. Although he knew it was wrong, he expected to see violent displays of dragon fire and blood, out of beasts and scorched land. The Romanian Dragon Reserve was well tended and its dragons well cared for so Harry was at rather a loss.

Lenora noticed this and smiled warmly at her brother, squeezing his hand gently. Continuing to glance around him, Harry noticed a behemoth of a man charging towards them and their 'convoy'. Slight fear filled him at the sight of the huge man covered in jet black markings and with a slightly feral look on his rugged face. In the face of this predator Harry attempted to step back, but Lenora's hand held him firm. "Endawi," she crowed, overjoyed at the sight of the man who was quickly approaching. When he was within reasonable distance the man, now revealed to be Endawi, bowed low before her before giving her a wicked grin. "My Queen," he spoke softly and stumbled only slightly as Lenora threw herself at him. Harry watched his bulging muscles ripple as his arms closed around her back. Both laughed gleefully, one high, one low and the men who had escorted them to the Reserve looked on with fond smiles cracking otherwise stern faces.

Retreating from Endawi's arms, Lenora gestured lightly to the boy behind her. "Endawi, I would like you to meet Harry, my friend from England. Harry, this is Endawi, my dragon protector."

"Hello, young one." Endawi greeted in his rough rumbling voice. "I have heard much about you over the years; it pleases me to meet you at last." It was as he said this that Harry processed the strange accent colouring his words.

"Um, hi; it is nice to meet you too. Lennie talks about you a lot." He responded hesitantly, offering up a wan smile in response. The booming laugh that filled the air made him jump.

"Lennie talks a lot, period. The trick is getting her to stop talking." An indignant noise was his response and he laughed again. "My apologies, my Queen; it is merely rare to find one with such pride in creatures of any kind...even among the Queens." Lenora snorted but did not refute his claim. Tossing crimson hair over her shoulder, Lenora took Harry's hand once again.

"Enough of your sly words, Endawi; let us show our guest around the Reserve." Bowing, Endawi conceded and motioned for her to proceed first. Lenora looked over shoulder to her guards who had now shifted back into their traditional green and gold leaf-emblazoned armour, complete with helms and the glistening swords they had kept close even while in muggle outfitting. Taking their cue, they bowed and retreated in the opposite direction from where she would be taking Harry. Said boy looked shocked at their transformation and she snickered. "That is the traditional armour of fey guards, Harry. Although I hate it when they follow me into the muggle world at least they try not to be auspicious while there." Taking in her words, Harry could just about see the tips of pointed ears poking out from their helms as they vanished into the distance.

"Do you have a lot of those?" He asked, curiously.

"What, guards? Yeah, I suppose so. I try to pretend I can't sense them following me most of the time. Apparently it is only going to get worse once I have had my coronation." She answered with a hint of mild boredom in her tone; this was clearly an old topic of conversation for her. Harry went to ask when that would happen, but was interrupted by a loud clearing of the throat.

"We should really get going your Majesty. If you want to show your guest around the whole of the Reserve by nightfall that is." Endawi drawled smoothly, fangs flashing in the sunlight. Nodding, Lenora linked her arm into Harry's and there his guided tour began.

Over his two week stay at the Romanian Dragon Reserve, Harry saw many crazy and wonderful magical things. Lenora made good on her promise and introduced him to every dragon at the Reserve; including little Norbert who it turned out was a girl and so now went by Norberta. He got to feed her a couple of times which was an experience all in itself – he was desperate not to lose his hand to a dragon that day or any other. He was also honoured to witness one of rarest sites in the magical world; the birth of a baby Hungarian Horntail dragon. He saw firsthand Lenora's involvement in this process and was in awe of his sister. Crimson hair floated in a halo around her head and golden eyes glowed as the air filled with the sound of a strange melodic language as she blessed the hatchling's egg. Harry was sure he would never forget that moment for as long as he lived.

Harry also met the Dragon Keepers, the people responsible for the care and protection of their reptilian charges. This included Darius; the Creature Queen's human protector. He was a rather unassuming man with golden blond hair and sapphire eyes which held a great deal of deceptively hidden strength. He was slimmer than most of his counterparts and lacking in their broad shoulders and incredible height. He was generally rather ordinary looking, but as Harry observed him over his time there he became certain that this worked to the man's advantage. This way he could protect her without being gawped at, unlike Endawi.

Charlie Weasley was an unexpected surprise. Of course, Harry knew he would be there somewhere but he never expected to meet him. He was taller and broader than the rest of his brothers (excluding Bill who Harry had not met) and Harry could clearly see the resemblance between him and the twins. He wondered privately if they would have the build and stature of Charlie when they were his age. Harry found that he liked Charlie very much and spent a lot of the time that Lenora was busy with him. He was alike the twins in more than his looks and this set Harry at ease in this unfamiliar place.

That is not to say he did not like the Dragon Reserve because he did, but it was always easier to adjust to a new place if you had more than one person you knew you could seek out and talk to. He stayed with Lenora in her stone hut that was admittedly larger and grander than every other one there and stood slightly separate from the others. By grander, he simply meant it was more colourful with more embellishments on the outside and inside. However, it was deceptively warm and cosy and his sister had truly made it her own home. It had several bedrooms, a beautiful stone kitchen and dining room, a cosy lounge, two bathrooms, a small meeting room and a library/hobby/artefact room; plus several locked rooms that he did not have permission to enter. Harry loved it and secretly wished he could live there with Lenora permanently. His favourite bit of her home however was the garden at its back, full of full towering plants and even a small body of water. His sister's love of plant life was slightly surprising, but he had to admit she definitely had a green thumb.

This little oasis behind Lenora's home, away from the heat and pressure of dragon fire became his solace and as his weeks there drew to a close, he vowed he would never forget a single moment of his time in that magical place.

**A/N**

**I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. Please review and tell me what you think if you have the time. I hope to have the next chapter up and ready to go in a couple of weeks so see you then. **

**P.S. Second year will probably be in the same format as First year. **

**HighFlyer0603, **

**Over and Out. **


End file.
